


Ascension for the Damned

by Midoriberry



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel Corruption, Angel/Demon Relationship, Angels, Demons, Fallen Angels, Forbidden Love, Heaven & Hell, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Revenge, Seduction to the Dark Side, Sex, Temptation, Underworld, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:13:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24649279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midoriberry/pseuds/Midoriberry
Summary: Tired of his job of torturing souls in Hell, the demon Ren seeks out a new venue in his journey to climb the ranks of Hell. His goal? To be among the Princes and Lucifer's inner circle.  And to do that he has to start with corrupting humans.  On his way to the top, he encounters an angel named Goro, living with and guarding the humans he attempts to prey on. Changing his plans, Ren decides to target this angel. After all, tainting an angel is far more satisfying and prestigious than a million human souls.  Especially one as beautiful and immaculate as Goro.The angel Goro won't make this easy.Angel/Demon AU
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 20
Kudos: 73





	1. The Push

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my good friend Lisa for this idea. In the past, I was really into angels and demons, and now an old hobby/obsession has come back.  
> I hope you guys enjoy this fic. As far as the length it's hard to say, but I plan to make this somewhat of an epic as there are many things I plan.

With a crack of his thorned whip, the cries of a damned soul were music to the demon’s ears. He cackled at the murderer’s misery. No matter how much they screamed and begged for mercy, it was all for naught. Until the time came when their soul had done their allotted time and rid itself from its ugliness through suffering, they would not be free from the pain. However the current soul the demon flayed had three thousand more years for their transgressions. 

“No one told you to starve your people,” the demon sneered. “Fortunate for you, you don’t have to go to Tartaros. Not sure which Judge put you here, but if it were up to me, your ass would be in Yomi.”

The soul grabbed his ankle, pleading for him to stop. The demon chuckled, combed his fluffy black hair with his long nails, and kicked the soul. 

He whipped the being again. “Don’t you touch me, disgusting bastard.” 

Yes, if it were up to him, things would be different. The demon known as Ren didn’t care about the fate of the sinful souls. After a century of becoming a torturer, Ren grew bored of his job. Sure, the pained screams from the corrupt spread pleasured shivers throughout his body, all demons loved it, but to be doomed to perform the tasks for eternity? 

He would not accept it. 

What did it take to climb the ranks from meager hellspawn to prince? From burning with the tortured souls to becoming the torturer? From commander to general, and from lord to a duke? Was it even possible for a natural demon to achieve the lofty dream?

Cursed as he may be in the eyes of God, demons did not lose their consciousness either. His heart longed for more than whipping the wicked in Nakara or peeling the flesh from the eternally damned in Tartaros. Low-ranking, disrespected. The life of a torturer held no social benefits. Even the wildly yokai were deemed more reputable! For a job considered fearsome and well-known to humans, it meant nothing to the demons, and most certainly not to the fiends, the former gods of humanity. Only the Judges appeared to care for Ren’s contributions to the monstrous souls he tortured.

“Aren’t we thoughtful today?” a demon chuckled. “Ready to turn in?”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ren handed the whip to his fellow demon. “Took you long enough.”

“The boss posted the latest schedule.” He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying to switch shifts. Say, are you willing to work next Mammet-”

“No,” he answered, unamused and needing a hard drink.

“Just thought I’d ask.”

If the demon hadn’t been on the clock, Ren would have ripped off his wings and devoured him, sucking the sweet marrow from the horns, licking his hands clean from the blood spilt. The consequences would have been dire - possibly ending with torture in Tartaros, yet worth it. It wouldn’t be the first nor last time Ren was sentenced to the same torment he put on the wayward souls. Another trip to the old torture chamber, bloodlust satiated and a job well done.

Ren peeked at the latest schedule, refusing to clock out until completely ready. Every minute counted towards his paycheck. Fumbling through the calendar, he found his name and noted his shift.

“Tartaros!? Ugh I was just there!”

A delicate hand patted his shoulder. “I thought you _liked_ Tartaros!”

Reaching for the hand, Ren shoved it away, rubbing the acid from his shoulder. “Oh yes, what fun I shall have forcing cockroaches and ants to crawl into the insides of the Countess Báthory whilst I feed from her black heart!”

“See?” A woman’s voice snickered. “I knew you liked it.”

He turned to scoff at the former goddess. “As much I like to inflict pain, Ereshkigal, I like a break.”

“I know, I know,” she sighed, flexing her clawed feet onto the obsidian floor. “I’m in a bit of a rut with staffing. That friend of yours got accepted to an internship, so I had to redo the entire thing.”

“Aww come on, couldn’t it wait?”

“This internship is time sensitive.” Ereshkigal frowned. “The order is from something higher than me.” 

“Wow, really? So who’s he interning with?”

“I’m not paying you for what you can ask your friend yourself. Clock out and get out of here!”

“Not even a teeny clue?”

Ereshkigal snapped her arm and pointed to the door. “Out!”

Ren waved his hands in defeat and clocked out. His boss’s temperament was testy at best and wasn’t worth an injured wing. Fallen and forgotten as she may have been, Ereshkigal’s wrath lived up to its legends. Formidable yet fair, she ran the lower regions of Hell efficiently. Never did he question why Lucifer chose to save her from the murky depths of Yomi.

As much as he admired and feared her, the inklings of resentment and bitter bile gnawed on his mind. “I want out of this circle…”

  
  
  


Sitting in a cornered booth, isolated from prying eyes and ears, Ren relaxed with his friends: Ann, a succubus; Ryuji, a fellow torturer; and Morgana, a werecat. They were the metaphorical breath of fresh air to a weary demon’s soul. If it were not for them, he’d have gone mad.

“Congratulations Ryuji!” cheered Ann, serving her friend fermented ambrosia. 

“I can’t believe I got accepted…” he said in awe. After all the centuries, he finally managed to get out of his dead-end job. “I really thought he’d reject me!”

Ren punched Ryuji’s arm. “Bastard! Why didn’t you tell me about it!”

“Ow!” He rubbed the injury. “I got so many rejection letters, I didn’t think this would be ‘The One,’ you know?”

“So who’s the demon you’ll be interning with?” asked Morgana.

“Krampus.”

Ann spat out her drink. “Krampus!? _The_ Krampus!?”

“Pretty sure it’s _der_ Krampus,” corrected Ryuji, and received a smack upside the head.

“Don’t get cocky!” Ann pouted. “But wow… Krampus is a legend!”

“I know right? I get to beat up kids!”

Morgana shook his head. “Naughty kids, Ryuji.”

“Whatever!”

“Must be nice…” Ren muttered and gulped down his drink. It fell heavy, a lead stone crushing his insides. The poisonous metal seeping into his core. If Leviathan were present, they’d smack their lips at the feast Ren presented to them. 

Morgana patted his lap. “You okay, Ren?”

“Why go now?” He ignored the werecat’s touch. Why dwell on his own feelings? Not like anything would change. “Isn’t it too soon?”

“It’s September in the human world.” Ryuji took a swig of the drink. “Humans have been going nuts about the holidays. Krampus said something about commercialization, or whatever the fuck that is. But yeah, Christmas isn’t a December-January thing anymore, so Krampus needs all the help he can get to smite those rotten kids.” 

“Humans are so weird” mused Ann. A realization hit her. Frowning, she pinched Ryuji’s arm. “I hope you haven’t been messing with my children!”

“If they’re on the naughty list, they get the birch!”

Ren smiled softly. Good for Ryuji. He had been working as a torturer for centuries and finally got to escape the mundane. Though was it really an escape from his old job? Tasked with punishing bad children, Ryuji technically continued to torture souls. Living, but still torture. Despite the similarities, maybe Ryuji didn’t mind doing the same sort of job. As a bonus, his friend got to work with a super famous demon. The prestige and special rank made it all the better.

And he wanted it. If it took him several millennia, Ren would climb up to be in the likes of the Princes.

Ann twirled a lock of Ren’s black hair. “What’s wrong, Ren? You’ve been really quiet this evening. Work blues again?”

“How do you do it?” he asked no one. “How do you get out of this miserable rank?”

Morgana nodded, understanding the existential predicament of his best friend. All demons eventually questioned their position and longed for more; it was in their nature. Though hundreds of generations removed, the blood and rebellion of the Fallen Angels flowed through the hellspawns’ veins. “I was wondering when you’d be asking that.”

“I’m so tired of being looked down on.”

“You’re not looked down on!” Ryuji pounded his chest, face glowing with pride. “We’ve got a really important job! Torturers and gallu do a lot for Hell and Earth! I know you don’t see it, and that’s cool, but don’t think you’re nothing!”

Ren grinned. Ryuji the ever optimist. A great friend. “I know, I know. I’d just like to do something different.”

“You can always apply for another job.” Ann finished her drink and poured more. “You’ve got a lot of experience as a torturer, so if you want to do something else you can? How about being an incubus?”

“Uhh, not sure if I’m ready for something that extreme,” said Ren. 

“What kind of weak response is that?!” Ann shook her head. “You’ve got the chops to torment souls, so what’s wrong with exploiting the living? That’s where all the good ranking comes from.”

His pointed ears perked. “Good ranking? Like, I can climb if I target humans?”

“If you choose the yokai life like me, no,” replied Morgana. “You gotta stick to living in Hell unless you’re under some sort of special assignment or got a really juicy soul to taint.”

“I mentioned incubus because that’s really most of what I know,” said Ann. “But you know the job of a tempter isn’t just being an incubus/succubus like me. That’s a different category, and you don’t have to sleep with a human either.”

Ryuji punched his hand. “Well _I_ like the physical approach!”

“And that’s why you’ll always be where you’re at, Ryuji,” sneered Morgana.

“Shuddap!” Grabbing the werecat, Ryuji shook him. A string of meows filled the table until a loud cry of pain stopped the shaking. The torturer pressed the scratches on his cheek, hissing at the dull sting. “Ow!”

“I told you to stop doing that!” Morgana growled. He lit a cigar and blew the smoke into his harasser’s face. “Really though Ren, I recommend you start off with humans. Although…”

“Although…?” The foreign wisps pricked Ren’s eyes. 

“How can you stand that crap?” Ryuji swatted the smoke, coughing. “Humans like the nastiest stuff.”

“It’s an acquired taste,” said Ann. “The human world has a lot of weird things we don’t have. You’ll get used to it though.”

“A refined gentleman such as myself has long been accustomed to the human luxuries.” With a sharp toothy grin, Morgana inhaled more, hot ash falling onto the table. “The quickest way to get high up there? You need to corrupt an angel.”

Ann bounced in her seat. “That’s right! The easiest way to do that is to sleep with them. Give them some of your hell-seed and they’ll be on their first ticket to Hell.”

Ryuji rolled his eyes. “Why’s everything gotta be sex for you?” 

“Because it’s true. And I may sleep around but I’m no liar!” Crossing her arms, she pouted. “It’s either that or doing it the hard way with the lies and regular temptation. ‘Ooh, look how awesome it is to be in Hell! It’s where all the cool cosmic entities hang out!’ Yeah, that’s a total no-go for me. No angel is going to fall for that. Sex is the best way.”

“You make it sound like that’s easy,” retorted Ryuji. “It ain’t easy seeing angels.”

“Is too!”

“Oh yeah? Have you ever seen one?”

“Um…” The succubus tapped her chin. A hard silence surrounding the table as she pondered. Her entire life had been about sex and giving out free cambions to humans to deal with. The idea of seeing an angel seemed obvious and yet not. “Huh, I guess I've never seen an angel.”

“I haven’t either,” agreed Morgana. “I may have met one, but that’s a big maybe; they disguise themselves too well. The only angels I’ve ever seen are the Fallen and a Grigori.”

Ren whistled. “A Grigori, huh? How did it go?”

“She looked frightened.” The cat demon flicked the cigar, eyes cast down and solemn. “She mumbled something about a Power named… I think True? A Power named True coming after her.”

Ryuji swallowed. “Damn, angels are _scary_. Krampus told me he saw an angel before, but I think that comes with the territory working with Nicky and all.”

“That’s pretty cool.” The concept of the angels fascinated Ren. They were first beings created and the first to tell God to go fuck himself. All-powerful and living in an unimaginable plane of existence, bringing divine justice to the realms. Unseen by yet ever-present. Angels were celestial and divine - the ultimate form of unattainability. “Did he say what kind?”

“Uh… Some Dominion named Claire? Sae, uh Clarity? It had a weird name.”

Working with a demon like Krampus _and_ the high chance of seeing an angel? Ryuji had no idea how lucky he was! That settled it: Ren was going to change his demonic career to not only get to the top, but to see an angel. From a distance, of course. Confident as he may have been with his powers, Ren had no interest in being slain by an angel.

“I’m gonna do it,” Ren announced after clearing his cup. “I’m gonna get the Sheol out of the Inferno circles and go to the human world and be a Prince!”

“That’s the spirit!” cheered Ann. “Maybe we can haunt the same human.”

Ren laughed. “I have no interest in becoming an incubus.”

She snapped her fingers with a false lament and stuck out her tongue. “You got me there!”

“If you ever need someone to guide you, I can help,” said Morgana. “I know all the ins-and-outs of the human world. Though honestly, it sort of resembles the underworld side of Hell just with a day and night cycle.”

“And pollution,” added Ann. 

“You guys are the best.” Ren added more ambrosia to everyone’s glasses and raised his own. “Congratulations Ryuji! I’m going to follow soon!”

“Fuck yeah!”

They clinked their glasses together, laughed, and jostled for several hours. Spirits and hopes high, and good friends to support him, Ren knew he would reach his goal. 

  
  
  


“A lofty goal,” taunted Ereshkigal, wiggling her wings. Ren’s two week notice was up and she was down a torturer. “You were so good at beating souls into submission too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ren pulled out his arm over her desk and opened his hand palm up. “The final paycheck please.”

“Hmph.” Opening a drawer, she pulled out a blank check. 

“Hey boss?”

The fiend busied herself, unable to look him in the eyes. “Yes?”

“Have you ever seen an angel?”

She signed the check, a critical eye on Ren. Her owl-like wings prostrated itself in a defensive-attack stance. “What are you after?”

He jumped back, unsure if what he witnessed was real. “I’m just curious.”

Ereshkigal’s arched a doubtful eyebrow. “All I will tell you is that the only angel worth gazing at is our Lord Prince. Anyone from above is a zealot.”

“Does that mea-”

“A ZEALOT.” 

A slam of a pen to the desk echoed through the dark office. The jeweled ceiling quaked at the impact. Loosened gems shattered onto the floor. Dark aura enveloped the former goddess. Though weaker than a hellspawn’s, its origin and power were from another world, another time, long dead and forgotten. Chthonic in nature yet not hellish. Ereshkigal’s labored breaths resounded, body trembling, eyes focused on a broken ruby. The aura disappeared as her breathing eased and regained composure. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

She held the paycheck firm in her hand, eyes sharp. “You will never come back here.” 

Shoulders slumped and unable to meet Ereshkirgal’s dark eyes, Ren sighed before reaching for the check. To see his boss in such a state of pain had not been the way he wanted to leave his job. The fiend’s hand grasped his wrist, but he did not startle. 

“Because... you are talented and ambitious.” A faint smirk among the sorrowful faces. “Now please leave me to my thoughts.”


	2. Stenches and Perfume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demon Ren makes his way out of Hell and into the human world. During his lurking, he encounters something interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kudos and comments! I enjoyed them so much <33  
> I decided to keep the title. So this is it!

The Rules for Prowling the Human World

_1\. Disguise yourself in every situation  
_ _2\. Do not possess a human unless you’ve passed your possession exam  
_ _3\. Altering a human’s memory should be temporary and for the benefit of bringing a soul to Hell  
_ _4\. If you must show your true form, it must be done with utmost caution  
_ _5\. Unless they approach you, leave yokai alone  
_ _(Addendum: this rule now includes the Grigori - Belial circa 1745AD (That's a human term. Look it up))  
_ _6\. Do not cause a scene: you’ll know what this rule means when you break it  
_ _7\. If you cannot comprehend why the rules are here, you deserve what happens with breaking Rule 6.  
_ _8\. Be subtle_

  
  


Ren scratched his head. “I need a license to possess humans?”

They said it would be easy. They said the job was child’s play. But they never mentioned there would be rules! At least not anything too ominous like the final three rules. Ren’s job as a torturer was simple and not at all vague.

Show up to work on time. Always hand off your weapon to the ongoing shift or turn it to the locker after cleaning it and sign off. Weird torture methods went to Tartaros, general unimaginative torture went to Naraka. Do not bribe the gallu. Do not sway the Judges. Do not fall into Yomi. Do not distract Abaddon from guarding Dudael. Do not answer the voices from Dudael. Easy stuff.

Morgana stretched on top of Ren’s bed and clawed on the blanket. “You’ve gotten better at disguising your looks.”

The demon stared at the mirror. “It’s different from what I used to do. In the Inferno circles, it was encouraged to play up your true form. You know, to scare the souls.” And now he had no choice but to forgo his years of uninhibited viciousness lest he resigned himself to his former job. But he would not do that; it was only the first step. To relinquish his goal on the first attempt meant he did not deserve to become a Prince. Lucifer would never accept such a submissive being as one of his own.

A reflection of disheveled black wings disappeared. The long red horns rescinded into his skull while his long black claws shrank and smoothed themselves into flesh and nail. He patted his rear to be sure the tail left; it was gone - good. Toes were trim and his lower legs blended with the rest of his skin. Twirling in front of the mirror, it seemed all appeared as human as possible.

“I think I got it!”

Morgana hopped off the bed and encircled his friend, touching to see if the texture matched or looked out of place. Nodding, he leaped onto Ren’s shoulder and rubbed his head. No bumps or sharp pointy things. Ears blunt and smooth. Ren smacked the werecat for scratching his scalp.

“Sorry about that,” replied Morgana, twisting Ren’s face in his direction. His large bright blue eyes keen to every detail. “Pupils are fine now, but your eyes still have that yellow outline.”

“Really?” Ren leaned into the mirror and widened his eyes. “Damn, I can never get that one right.”

“It’s fine.” Morgana held onto Ren’s hair. “Just wear glasses.”

“Glasses? That thing Steve Jobs wears? Isn’t that for bad vision?”

“Huh?” He scratched behind his ears with his hind leg. “How do you know about Steve Jobs?”

“I was his first torturer. He got sentenced to Tartaros.”

“A little harsh, isn’t it?”

“I’m no judge.” Ren shrugged. “It was probably Anubis.”

The hairs stood up on Morgana’s body, puffing him in the process. “I’m glad I don’t live here.” He jumped and landed on Ren’s window sill. The streets were littered with vibrant orange petals. Not one demon cared about the red liquid dripping from the jade stalagmites hanging from an obsidian ceiling. The liquid drained into gutters and emptied into the marigold lake surrounding Ren’s home circle. Despite how packed the apartments were, the general nature of the circle was warm. Street vendors prepared delicious meals and called out to the passers, music played at every corner, demons bid their lovers goodbye before heading to work - it truly resembled the cities of the human world!

Morgana’s tail wagged as another vehicle passed. An extraordinary world full of surprises! No wonder why the Lord Prince chose to rule in Hell than be a servant in Heaven. But what came first? The technological advancements of Hell, or the humans’ version? Born a yokai, Morgana only knew Earth and the creatures who resided, Hell being a place only the most fortunate could afford. Thanks to his beloved Lady Ann, he had the opportunity to enter Hell and become close with several demons. His hellspawn ancestry may have been long since lost to time, yet he couldn’t help but feel a kindred spirit with the demons of Hell.

Ren grinned. “Says the one who likes to spend the night in Mictlan.”

“The Mictlan circle reminds me of home.”

“Is the human world really that nice?”

Morgana smiled softly. “I like it.”

  
  
  


“It’s my first time.”

“Don’t be shy!” Ann giggled.

“I heard a lot of bad things about this thing…”

“Not a thing: He!”

Morgana trembled behind Ren’s legs. “This is the hardest part about entering and leaving Hell.”

“Come on! They won’t bite!” The succubus pulled a reluctant Ren forward towards the gates of Hell. “Cerberus is super friendly! Aren’t you, boy? Aren’t you a good boy?”

The giant three-headed dog growled, lowering its middle head to Ren. Middle's massive nose lifted the demon when he sniffed. Lefty nuzzled against Ann, whimpering in pleasure as she scratched under his chin with both arms. Right licked Morgana from the ground, barkling with glee.

"YUCK!" Covered in slobber, Morgana held out his little arms helplessly. No way was he going to lick himself clean from _this_. “I hate this part!”

“Worry not, little one,” a spectral voice echoed above Right's head. “It means he loves you.”

Cerberus raised his right paw to Right's head and lowered it before the demons. A woman, skin half-white half-black, offered Morgana a towel. Her long white hair cascaded like smoke, billowing at the ends surrounding her in an ominous fog. Though gentle were her looks, behind her lidded grey eyes, lurked a fearsome being. The mayor of the Hades circle and frequent visitor to Tartaros, the fiend Melinoë.

Morgana snatched the towel, rubbing his face vigorously. “I don’t need his love!”

The fiend chuckled.

“What brings you here, Melinoë?” asked Ann.

“I just felt like seeing my late father’s beloved dog.” She smiled and offered Morgana water, laughing when he ungraciously accepted. “Ereshkigal asked a favor of me.”

Despite being in the vicinity of giant teeth, Ren relaxed. “Really? Well she doesn’t need to worry. I’ll be alright with Morgana here.”

Melinoë shook her head. “Her message is ‘They’re everywhere.’”

“Well that’s not foreboding at all.” Ren rolled his eyes. “Tell _Mom_ it’s fine. I don’t think I’ll be catching anyone’s attention.”

“It’s merely an admonition. You are free to interpret ‘they’ as you please.” She flashed a maddened grin. “Or discover.”

“You’re always so crytically dramatic, Melinoë.” He pushed against the middle head’s nose. Almost out from Hell and already was the world out to stop him on his tracks. Just his damned luck. “Can you tell your hell-pooch to lay off? I have permission to leave.”

“Mesaía loves you!”

“Why couldn’t Neti be on gate duty today?” Ren grumbled and brushed Cerberus aside. “Let’s go, guys.”

“I’m going to miss you, Aristerá!” cooed Ann and kissed the left’s muzzle. “Such a good boy!”

Clean at last, Morgana hissed at the happy, slobbering right head. “Go away Dexiá!” He leapt onto Ren’s shoulder to avoid the incoming lick.

“My, my…” Melinoë stared at the disappearing trio from the distance and patted Cerberus’ leg. “Such determination… perhaps he can become a Prince.”

  
  
  


Taking his friend’s advice, Ren put on large framed glasses when he entered the human world. They were odd and somewhat heavy on his nose. What a strange device humans needed to see! But if this would help make him appear less conspicuous to humans, then Ren would wear it with pride, awkward or not.

Without any fanfare or horrified screams, Ren found himself in the middle of a busy city. Humans hurried past the trio to make their way to their destination. They spoke a variety of languages, namely English. Vehicles honked and blared their music as they passed by. Towering buildings reached up to the sky, its windows reflecting the sunlight.

Like magic, the humans actively avoided touching Ren and his friends despite their invisibility status. A force of nature or perhaps the primordial animal instincts of humans sensing a physical presence near.

“Even though we’re invisible,” said Morgana, “we’re still physical in this world. Humans can’t see us but they can feel us.”

A man walked past the demons, snapped his head twice and blinked. There had been no one to be found. He shrugged it off and continued on his way.

“The Sheol was that?” Ren pointed to the man.

“Sometimes humans can see things from the corner of their eyes,” said Morgana, pulling down on his lower eyelids. “They get really confused and think something’s there but there isn’t.”

Ann nodded. “I’d say one hundred percent of the time, they’re actually seeing demons or yokai, but can’t process it since we ‘disappear’ when they turn around. Also sometimes they can hear us, but usually it’s because we want them to.”

“Heh, good to know that the human studies books I read are actually real.” Ren took a deep breath and coughed. A revolting stench of car exhaust, oil, food, and pollution rolled into one smacked him in the nose. Worse yet was the odor emitting from various people. His stomach churned as he tried to regain his breath, senses dizzying and fading. Ann grabbed Morgana and put the werecat in Ren’s face. Slowly his eyes regained clarity, the fire in his lungs extinguished. Morgana’s essence smelled pleasant and clean, a big welcome into the foul world before him.

“There you go…” Ann swept the bangs from Ren’s face. “It takes some time to get used to the smell. Humans are stinky by nature.”

“I don’t smell anything!” whined Morgana.

“Cuz you were born here!” Ann removed a spray bottle from her bag and spritzed it on Ren’s hair, skin, and clothes. “This will help with the smell. Humans that wear perfume smell a little less bad, but… not by much… Oh, but, the more you corrupt them the better they’ll smell!”

Putting Morgana down, Ren sniffed the collar of his blazer. The sweet smell of an unfamiliar fruit flooded his nose. A sigh of relief. Careful, Ren sniffed his surroundings and found it more tolerable. Not great or okay, tolerable.

“I’m going to corrupt them all, holy shit this is putrid!” He plucked the bottle from Ann’s possession. What in the world was this pink, lifesaving nectar? Watermelon berry… splash? He needed more of this watermelon berry splash!

Morgana snickered. “It’ll be alright. You should be using your nose to figure out the humans you’re dealing with too.”

“No. I must have more of this pink stuff.”

“There’s plenty of other smells you can use, Ren,” giggled Ann. “But you can keep it. Maybe we can go perfume shopping sometime. I know a really great shop in Japan!”

Taking another breath, Ren cleared his throat and nodded, fire in his eyes and nose. “Alright, let’s start ruining human souls!”

  
  
  


The first week Ren perfected appearing and behaving human to the mortals. Morgana made it seem difficult, however that probably had something to do with him being a werecat and not a humanoid demon. Convenient that such a creature had the ability to transform into a normal cat though. Now humans looked at Ren in awe, some covering their noses from the heavy perfume, the others pointing at the cat in his bag as he walked down the busy streets of New York City with a confidence worth envying.

No problem, everything would be fine.

Second week, Ann whisked Ren away to Paris. During the day, she taught him how to speak to humans while invisible. Tricky, though not impossible. Children were the most susceptible, often assuming their parents called their name. The simplest way to practice was to appeal to human’s most basic desires and then gradually move to tackle more complex ideas such as fame, acceptance, and promotion.

“You should start with food,” said Ann, munching on a chocolate strawberry crepe. “Once you get the hang of tempting humans with food, then you can work up to things like drugs and infidelity. The most basic the desire, the easier it is to get them to do it.”

“Isn’t sex really basic though? Have you ever done anything besides that?”

Ann frowned. “Excuse me, but I _chose_ to be a succubus! Before that, I was where you are right now, tempting and corrupting. I much prefer to corrupt using sex so that’s why I’m where I am. We’re really lucky to be hellspawn, you know.”

Morgana nodded, stealing a fish from an outdoor fishmonger’s stall. “Yeah, you guys can do whatever you want.”

Not the yokai then, thought Ren. He only knew of his world and read about the supernatural entities of the human realm through Hell’s literature - somewhat thorough, and a lot vague. Not exactly a sheltered life, but still one confined to his own world. However, despite his whining and misery over his job, the process to apply to another position and get the permission to ascend had been easier than he expected. Ryuji didn’t leave his job because he hated it. In fact, he loved it, but he wanted to get above by being with a torturer of high rank. Obtaining an internship with such a demon was the hard part, otherwise his friend could have easily done what he and Ann were doing. The more he thought about it, the more Ren wanted to reach his goal.

During the nights, they prowled the ancient city. Ann swung around the street lamps, not a care in the world as her beautiful laughter filled the night sky. Ren’s back itched; he longed to release his wings to take flight. But with some playful coaxing, he joined Ann, swinging and bouncing from pole to pole, fresh breeze splashing his face with relief.

If there was a human close by, Ren practiced scaring them by standing near their peripheral line of sight. He commanded the winds to shake the bushes and snapped his fingers to mimic the sound of footsteps. Pursing his lips, he whistled a tune. The human turned, heart racing, face drained of its blood. Their breath hitched at the whispered voices. Ren and Ann laughed at their responses. Unnecessary for corrupting, though a valuable asset in manipulating a human long term.

Ren eyed a man with a knife hiding behind a tree near the sidewalk. He held the weapon close to his chest, hands quivering, stomach growling.

“I can’t do this,” said the man.

Ren smirked. The perfect opportunity.

He touched the man’s head. Wrinkling his nose from the stench, he placed his lips near his ear. “ _You know what you must do, Jules_.”

“N-no… I can’t! I-I…”

“ _Your family needs the money. Think of your children, Jules._ ”

The human shut his eyes tight.

“ _It’s dark anyway. Not like they’ll identify a slumrat in such a nice neighborhood._ ”

Frightened screams filled the atmosphere. Jules’ smell waned, becoming sweeter. Ann congratulated Ren for his successful temptation. Food related, yet more complex. If Ren continued on his current path, he’d have a sizable amount of souls corrupted in no time!

Ann cheered, “I smell a future promotion!”

Third week, Ren met with Ryuji in Manila. He observed how his friend studied the children in the parks, the streets, the shops, and at home. Interesting how the job resembled his.

“How do you remember all this?”

Ryuji squinted his eyes at a child swapping their sibling’s drink in secret. “You’d be surprised what you can remember. But ya know, you can kinda put what you know from our time in Inferno to this place.”

“We made souls eat their own entrails. Not sure how that can apply here without breaking the rules.”

“I thought so too!” He grabbed several sticks and tied them at the ends. Removing a knife from his pocket, he split the ends until they were thin and wired. “But Krampus - man, what a genius - he was like, ‘Ryuji, boy, how did you figure out the sins of the souls you beat into submission?’ And I was like ‘Whoa! I never thought of that!’”

“Hey… he’s right.”

No wonder Krampus managed to get where he was! Using all that he learned in his time in Hell and used it on the humans without resorting to obscene violence. The answer was simple. It was the same as how he figured the life story of the man he tempted in Paris. Demons sort of knew these sort of things without having to run extensive background checks, though it only worked with mortals. The yokai and hellspawn were impervious to those abilities and required information extraction by being social or torturing or devouring, whichever mood the demon was in.

“So, where’s Krampus?”

“He’s in Cebu City right now.” Ryuji swung his makeshift weapon. It snapped brilliantly, the crack alerting a few children, but turned to see nothing making the sound. The two chuckled. “Says we’d better start in this place since the Christmas spirit starts really early here. Then to some parts of Europe…” He tapped his chin in thought. “And once October is done, we can go after the Americas.”

“Have you seen an angel yet?”

He shuddered. “No way! I don’t get why you’re so interested in them. They really creep me out!”

“Well I wanna see one,” said Ren. “Just to see how they’re like.”

Ryuji flapped his leathered wings, frustrated. “They got wings like us. What more do you want?”

Ren smirked. Poor Ryuji didn’t see far past wanting to beat bad children. “This is the guy that wants to be a Prince.”

“Just stick to corrupting humans, Ren. Fuck, even kill a yokai or something, but don’t go after an angel. Maybe fake something with Morgana.”

Curling his lip, Ren grimaced at the suggestion. “That’s stupid. I’m not going to kill Morgana for some brownie points.”

“I said fake!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ren eyed Morgana in the distance, disguised as a regular cat. He played with the children, letting them pet and carry him around the playground. Little girls fed him their snacks and sat him on a baby’s swing. The werecat seemed content if his lack of scratching and hissing meant anything. Delicious free food at the expense of others? There some things Ren couldn’t do that Morgana could. “Must be lucky to transform into something so cute.”

“Right? Come on, I’ll show you how to bully a kid!”

“Oh, by the way…”

“Yeah?”

“How aren’t you and Krampus not breaking rules six and eight?”

“Krampus said he has special permission as long as it’s Christmasy somewhere.” He shrugged. “He said as long as I don’t get carried away, it’s cool.”

“But what happens if you do get carried away?”

Hands and arms limp, Ryuji’s eyes struggled to look at Ren’s. How could he say without endangering his friend’s life? “I…” He closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. Taking a deep breath, he recited, “ _You’ll know what this rule means when you break it_.”

  
  
  


Humans… Indescribable, carnal, rotting, fetid, absolutely disgusting.

Their constant stench offended Ren. Why couldn’t they smell normal like a hellspawn or a yokai? At least they weren’t obnoxious unless they forgot to bathe or clean themselves. But humans? Disgusting. How could God and the angels protect such a putrid species?

It had been almost an entire year of corrupting souls and the human world metaphorically stank up to the lower circles!

Still, Ren’s resolve never wavered. He lived for several centuries, and he’d live for more. His accomplishments were commended by his superiors, praising how diabolical and manipulative his words to the people were. A talent only seen by those who truly wanted more. The words encouraged him, yet a string of bitterness lingered in his mind.

The rate he went was to his satisfaction, but he wanted to do more. Ren had to think of subtler ways of tempting humans. He heard about the exploits of the Princes. Belial and her incredible foresight to not only give dreams of heaven and divinity to Hong Xiuquan, but to convince his cousin to give him Christian readings. A dream and the holy scriptures were enough to push a man to the brink and bring forth a rebellion painted with the blood of millions of innocents. Brilliant. An exquisite display of excellence!

And Ishtar! Nothing short of a genius! Prophetic Jesus dreams and misusing Christianity to cause chaos was great, but Ishtar? She chose a far simpler route; she chose a sandwich. The most basic of all human desires, she used it to lead a young rebel who had failed to assassinate an archduke make a glorious comeback and fulfill his duty. The royal was slain, and the entirety of the world changed forever. How ingenious!

All exploited the instabilities of humans, both mentally and politically. And the souls reaped from the atrocities were a great victory to Hell. Ren worked overtime during the World Wars, but damn if it wasn’t worth it!

Certainly accomplishing something grand with minimal effort would elevate his status, and he knew he was capable of such a feat. Perhaps with a new title he could have a higher chance to see an angel. Be a bigger demon in the pecking order, catch the attention from the heaven on high. Not such a bad deal. And while he didn’t tremble in fear like Ryuji over the angels, he respected them... at a distance. They were his celestial ancestors after all.

The streets of Shibuya were crowded, smelly humans traveled to their destinations, work or leisure, it didn't matter. Ren walked among them, perfume bottle in tow, and set out to find a place to eat. The food from Hell sustained his hunger better, but human food required larger quantities to satisfy his stomach. Intrepid cashiers stared at Ren as he consumed fifteen burgers, ten large fries, and several liters of soda without batting an eye. All waiters hesitated to return to his table whenever he ordered his meals. And if he took any of his demon companions with them, bills as high as in the thousands were commonplace. The demons paid their bills in full and made their way out as if they had not consumed nearly half the restaurant’s food.

Ren pulled out his cellphone and read reviews to cafes. Hell food was good, but human food had incredible flavor and variety! How could he not go and explore the millions of cuisines? The sin of gluttony made more and more sense the more he ate on the terrestrial Earth.

“Hmm, where can I get some coffee?”

A body passed him.

A waft of crisp flowers and morning dew.

Ren looked up from his phone. Who had that smell?

He inhaled deeply. A trail of the scent remained in the atmosphere. The demon followed the path, nose working overtime, loud snorts and sniffs as he made his way to the source. Humans stared at him and some turned their heads away to avoid the crazy man, but he heeded them no attention. Filthy creatures that smelled of dirt and rot! Who cared what they thought? The smell had been too clean to be from a yokai and too elegant to be from a hellspawn. What in the world could it have been?

Another smell caught his nose, this time the flowers were embedded with salt and wood. Clawing the building’s corner, he rushed to see who had been the creatures with the delightful odors. The pressure of his grip cracked the bricks. His fingers and eyebrows twitched. Who were they!?

Bright orange hair fluttered in the wind as it disappeared behind a left corner - the scent sweet and delicate. His heart pounded against his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had to find that person. His legs moved automatically, arms stiff and colorful curses uttered as he stomped to his destination, only instinct and curiosity fueled him. Nose sharp and desperate to smell more of the gorgeous aroma.

_Almost there! I have to! I have to find the source!_

In his fevered frenzy, Ren slipped on a flyer and fell to the floor. People asked if he was okay. Face hot and ears burning, Ren grumbled and got up. How humiliating. The smell was gone and he failed. He wiped his clothes clean and thanked the humans in a low voice. He looked at the flyer he tripped on.

Vote for Masayoshi Shido.

What tripe!

Ren crumpled and tore the paper into pieces and tossed it to the floor. Fuck the environment. It was already shit to begin with! There was no point in remaining in the human world any longer, not after that embarrassing event. He’d call it a day and return to Hell to get drunk, sleep, and focus on his mission tomorrow.

Ren turned to the opposite direction where the being with the long hair vanished. He sighed as he waited for the crosswalk’s signal to walk. Would have been nice if he saw who it was. Either the most corrupt human in the world or something else entirely. Maybe a Grigori? As cool as that would have been, Ren was not in the business of getting a smiting from an angel for being a demonic bystander. He knew the unwritten rules. The angel and the Grigori could duke it out _without_ him.

Screams and screeching tires brought him back to reality. A child in the middle of the road and a speeding van. Just as the child’s fate was close to being sealed, impact imminent, a man hurled himself in front of the moving vehicle and pushed the boy to safety. Flashes of celestine light. The golden outline of feathers. The man held the child in his arms as they rolled on the hot concrete.

The witnesses dialed their phones in panic. Yells and bodies crowded the two. The child was alive. Crying, but alive. The brave rescuer appeared unharmed. Clothes covered in glass, face with the grim of the street, he was fine.

No cuts or scrapes. How odd that he happened to appear out of the nowhere. And then there was Ren’s hallucination. Had his forlorn mind played tricks on him or was there truth to what he witnessed? The man stood up without any struggle or signs of pain. His fluffy brown hair mildly tossed and his deep maroon eyes illuminated with mirth and innocence. His smile radiated peace and warmth.

Flowers, salt, and wood.

That was no human or demon.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now it begins...

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd like to hear what you think!  
> Kudos are awesome too.


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